The Higher Latitudes of the world show higher rate of earlier onset of MS

                                                                  

A large international research effort concluded that the geographical area where a person lives affects how early they will start showing symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and that people living in the more northern regions having the earliest disease onset.

The age at which a person fell ill also was linked to the amount of exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) sunlight during winter months. UVB sunlight triggers vitamin D production in the skin.

The study, “Higher latitude is significantly associated with an earlier age of disease onset in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

One of the most consistent findings in MS are reports that the disease is more common among people living in northern regions. Studies have shown that for each 10-degree increase in latitude, patients newly diagnosed with MS increased by 30% for women, and 50% for men.

Such changes are likely reflective of the variations in UVB-light and vitamin D production, but the researchers underscored it likely is not the only explanation.

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